Program Goals and Objectives

The NIGMS Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25) supports the career development of quantitatively trained investigators who make a commitment to basic or clinical biomedicine, bioengineering, bioimaging, or behavioral research that is relevant to the NIH mission. Individuals participating in this program are expected to integrate their expertise with NIH-relevant research and develop into an independent investigator. The NIGMS K25 program is intended for research-oriented faculty at the tenure-track level or equivalent.

The specific objectives of the Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award are to:

• Encourage research-oriented quantitative scientists and engineers with little or no experience in biomedicine, bioengineering, bioimaging, or behavioral research to gain fundamental knowledge in these areas and develop relevant research skills; gain experience in current concepts, advanced methods, and experimental approaches that will allow them to conduct basic or clinical biomedical, behavioral, bioimaging, or bioengineering research; and become independent investigators or play leading roles in multidisciplinary research teams.
• Increase the pool of quantitative researchers who can conduct biomedical, behavioral, or bioengineering studies, capitalizing on the quantitative backgrounds of these investigators to inform new directions in biomedical, behavioral, and bioengineering research.
• Provide a unique opportunity for candidates holding degrees in quantitative science or engineering to embark on 3 to 5 years of special study, including coursework, seminars, meetings, and mentored research, to achieve the career enhancement goals outlined above.

Candidates

The K25 award is intended for research-oriented investigators in an independent faculty position with an advanced degree in a quantitative area of science or engineering (M.S.E.E., Ph.D., D.Sc., etc.) and who have demonstrated productivity and research interests in their primary quantitative discipline (including research outside of biomedicine). These individuals are expected to expand their research capability, with the goal of making significant contributions to biomedical research that is relevant to the NIH mission.

These individuals may have little or no biological research experience. K25 candidates must identify a mentor with extensive behavioral, biomedical, bioengineering, or bioimaging research experience. Candidates must commit at least 75 percent of their effort to research and research career development and the remainder of their effort to other career development activities consistent with the overall purpose of the award.

Length of Support

The K25 project period may be for up to 5 years, with a minimum of 3 years required. Awards are not renewable and are not transferable from one principal investigator to another.

Mentored career award recipients in the last 2 years of career award support may reduce effort on the career award to a minimum of 50 percent and hold concurrent support from their career award and a competing NIH research grant if they are recognized as a principal investigator or subproject director on the research project grant. This policy can be found in NOT-OD-08-065.

Budget

NIGMS will provide up to $75,000 per year in salary and up to $40,000 per year in research development support for the career award recipient. The total salary requested must be based on a full-time, 12-month staff appointment. The salary must be consistent both with the established salary structure at the institution and salaries provided by the institution, from its own funds to other staff members of equivalent qualifications, rank, and responsibilities in the department concerned. Fringe benefits, based on the sponsoring institution's rate and the percent of effort, will be provided in addition to the salary.

For more information about this award, see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (PA-24-191), read the FAQs document, or visit Contacts by Research Area for Program contact(s).

Funded Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Grants